National Pharmacogenomics Physician Survey: Who Are the Physicians Adopting Pharmacogenomics and How Does Knowledge Impact Adoption?

Investigators: E.J. Stanek¹, C.L. Sanders¹, J.R. Teagarden¹, B.C. Agatep¹, K.A. Johansen², R.E. Aubert¹, M. Khalid¹, A. Patel¹, F.W. Frueh¹, R.S. Epstein¹.

Presented by: E.J. Stanek and C.L. Sanders of Medco Health Solutions at the 59th Annual American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG) Meeting, October 2009.

Study in Brief:
- This nationwide physician survey was conducted in late 2008 to establish a benchmark for current U.S. physician use of pharmacogenomics (PGx) tests, and to explore the factors impacting physician adoption of this technology.

- The survey was sent to 397,832 U.S. physicians from Medco’s provider database and 10,303 completed surveys were received. Survey respondents were found to be representative of the general U.S. physician population after comparing them with the American Medical Association’s MasterFile.

- Results showed that 98 percent of physicians agree that patient genetic profiles may influence drug therapy but only 10 percent believe they are adequately informed about PGx testing.

- In regards to physician adoption, only 13 percent of respondents had ordered or recommended a PGx test in the previous six months while more than one quarter of those polled (26 percent) planned to do so within the next six months.

- The survey found a lack of formalized PGx training among physicians, with only 26 percent having some form of either medical school or postgraduate PGx education, but those who said they were well-informed about PGx tests were twice as likely to order or recommend them as those who were not.

- Physicians who have ordered PGx tests tended to be older males out of medical school for 15 to 29 years, oncologists, and had prior PGx education.

¹Medco Health Solutions, Inc., Franklin Lakes, NJ
²American Medical Association, Chicago, IL